


Sovereigns in the Shippen

by angelamulry



Category: The Marlows - Antonia Forest
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 07:34:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15214259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelamulry/pseuds/angelamulry
Summary: "just as romantic..as they'd been to the long-ago young Marlow who'd hoarded them and hidden them on the beam." - or not?





	Sovereigns in the Shippen

Sophia made her way cautiously across the yard to the Old Shippen. It was nearing dusk and a wind had arisen at the same time as the moon and this disguised the noise of her footsteps. She walked quietly into the building; the cows moved restlessly as she slipped through to the stepladder at the far end.  
Climbing this, she arrived in the upper room, holding her skirts closely to her so that she would not spoil them, and looked around her. Where would be the best place? She looked around her hastily and upwards. There were old oak beams in the roof and, luckily for her, a table in the centre of the room. She hastened to it, scrambled onto a chair beside it and then stood upright on it. The beam was out of reach. This was exasperating, she had a rendezvous to make. She reached down and lifted the chair onto the table, stood on that and by stretching could just reach the beam. Good. Taking the small leather bag from her dress pocket she placed it on the beam. She smiled, Harry and Thomas had no head for heights, they would not think of looking there and as for Ann, Sophia knew she never would do anything so hoydenish. 

Sophia got down from the chair, sitting on the table she jumped down and replaced the chair. She looked around and made her way hastily down to the ground floor and out, past the cows, who watched her as she rushed by.

She had left her bag and cloak at the entrance to the yard and she retrieved them before going up the lane to meet James Merrick who was waiting in his Gig. He picked up her bag, embraced her and helped her in.

“Are you certain about this?” he asked her and she nodded.  
“Yes,” she said, “I really couldn’t stay one more day with the Marlows. They will soon forget Sophia Lawrence, I never fitted in. And you? Do you want to go ahead with this?”

James looked at her, gazing into her curious light amber eyes and smiled, “Never felt so certain about anything in my life.” He said emphatically and they set off down the lane towards Westbridge and onwards to their new life together.


End file.
